http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/auto-news/mitsubishi-mirage-on-the-horizon/article2419273/Mitsubishi Canada confirms it is getting a new small car.
Although it is reported to be the first North American version of the Mirage subcompact five-door that just started coming off a new production line in Thailand, John Arnone, Mitsubishi Canada’s manager of public relations, wrote in an e-mail this week that “we’ll share details of our new small car closer to the launch.”
Trade journal Automotive News says the small hatchback has been confirmed to enter the Canadian market in early 2013, though its chances of making it to the United States as well are still 50-50, a Mitsubishi U.S. spokesperson said.
The Mirage, about a foot shorter in length than a Ford Fiesta and likely to compete closest with the upcoming Chevrolet Spark and Fiat 500 five-door, will be sold first in Thailand, then in ASEAN countries, followed by Japan, Europe, then “other global markets,” Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said in March.
Arnone did not release any details about the Mirage, but the sub-Lancer offering went into production sporting a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine in Thailand, with a lightweight body – even compared to other similarly small cars – for an overall fuel economy rating of less than 5.0 litres/100 km.
